GOD Series. This series is all about GOD and the trinity!

Transcription

1 GOD Series Week 1 - Our God is Three in One Week 2 - God our Father Week 3 - The Father Tells Me Who I Am Week 4 - The Fathers Love for Us Week 5 - The Father Holds Us This series is all about GOD and the trinity! We will be taking a look at a number of in depth topics in a way that will make sense to a 5 year old as well as a 12 year old. Sometimes, the most difficult concepts to grasp are most easily understood by kids simply because they don t try complicate things and they just believe! Week 1 will explain the trinity and look at the fact that the trinity is not three parts that make up one whole, but instead is three persons which together make up God! Week 2 looks at the aspect of God as our Father. Some kids may have great earthly dads, while others might not, but ultimately we want them to understand that our Father in heaven is perfect and is the ultimate dad! Week 3 & 4 cover the story of the prodigal son. We look at the love the father has for his son and that no matter what happened the father still took him back. It s the same with our Father in heaven. Sometimes we like to do our own things and it ends in us messing up big time, but our Father in heaven is always waiting for us with open arms! Week 4 aims to show the kids that we have a dad in heaven who wants the absolute best for us! Even when we don t realize it, he always knows what is best and we need to trust Him. He will always provide for us and will never ever leave us without.

2 Week 1 Media Clip: Cartoon clip Story: Egg Crackers! YOU WILL NEED TO BRING AN EGG OR TWO! You will also need 3 separate bowls and an egg separator. Characters: MC & kids MC: Good morning everyone! Today we begin our new series called I AM which is all about GOD! Today we re going to be looking at the TRINITY! Has anyone ever heard that word before? Maybe you ve heard someone say that our God is three-inone? Who has ever been a bit confused by that? Well today we are going to try and get a better idea of what the trinity means and what it means when we say our God is three-in-one! Okay, I am going to need a volunteer (Choose an older kid as you want this to work effectively.) To the volunteer: Here is what I need you to do. I need you to separate this egg into its three different parts - the egg, the white and the yolk. Then you need to put each different part into the separate bowls. *Show the three bowls to all the kids Can we all agree that these three things make up an egg? Yes! But, would the shell or the yolk or the white part just on it s own be a complete egg? No, that would only be a part of the egg. We would need all three of these things to be together to be a complete egg So here s the thing, in a way, this egg can help us understand the trinity because it s similar - there are three separate things which all make up an egg! But in another way it s also very different. You see, the trinity is not three parts that make up the whole, it s three complete things which make up the whole.

3 God is not three parts that make up a whole like an egg, He is three complete persons that make up one God. The trinity is NOT three parts that make it one whole, it s THREE persons in one! The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are separate but together they are ONE! God the Son (Jesus) is fully, completely God. God the Father is fully, completely God. God the Holy Spirit is fully, completely God. We don t have to understand this fully! That s the incredible thing about God! He is so big that our mind can t even take it all in! All we can do is believe what the Bible says and then ask Him to explain it to us properly one day in heaven. God hasn t got any limitations. We can t be three people in one and we can t be out of time - only God can be! He is in a whole other realm to us. Who has watched a cartoon on TV where some characters are able to do things that ordinary people can t? Maybe they come from some far off universe where they are able to do things out of this world? It s kind of the same with Jesus - although he is far greater than anything else of course; especially a cartoon character - but HE is out of this world!!! Nothing is too outrageous for our God! He is God so He can three person s in one and that just proves how awesome our God is!

4 Week 2 Media Clip: Jesus is Baptized Story: Matthew 3:13-17 Characters: MC & about 6-8 kids MC: Hey everyone! Have you all heard of a guy by the name of John of the Baptist? Some of you? Awesome! Well today we are going to be having a look at what went down at the Jordan River one sunny afternoon So there s this guys right - John the Baptist - the one I mentioned a few seconds ago, he was a prophet who lived around the same time as Jesus. He would travel around wherever he could and tell people about Jesus. He would also tell people that God was sending His Son Jesus to the earth to change the entire world! John not only did that, but he would also baptize people in the Jordan River. Being baptized is a way of showing the world that that you love, trust, and have given your life to Jesus. As we go under the water and come up again, it s like we have died to our old self and have been raised to a new life in Jesus. When we are baptized, we say to the world, I am a follower of Jesus Christ. Anyways, back to the story. One day, when John was busy baptizing people in the Jordan River, Jesus came to him and asked to be baptized, too. As we know, John has been the guy telling everyone about Jesus and now Jesus comes to him to be baptized! This is crazy!! Can you imagine how John must have been feeling? He said to Jesus, I shouldn t be the one baptizing you! I need you to baptize me. Jesus knew he needed to be baptized and so he said, John, I need you to baptize me.

5 And so, eventually John agreed and went with Jesus down to the river. John put his hands on Jesus head and pushed him down into the cold water. When Jesus came back up, he saw the heavens open up and the Spirit of God flew down like a dove and sat on him. A Voice from heaven said This is my beloved Son. I am very pleased with him. (Matthew 3:13-17) This was the first time Jesus was said openly to be the Son of God! And the coolest thing was that His own Father who had sent Him was the one who said these words! Just like we learnt last week, the trinity is made up of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - three complete persons in ONE! We can see this very clearly in this story! Okay, here is where it gets fun. We are going to tell the story again, but THIS time I need some volunteers to make it more exciting! Select volunteers for the following characters: John the Baptist Jesus The dove The river God *Now, tell the main parts of the story again and have the kids act it our as you narrate it. You will need to encourage them and emphasize their individual parts! HAVE FUN!

6 Week 3 Media Clip: Prodigal Son Series Part 1 Story: Luke 15 - The Prodigal Son Characters: MC The clip will show the story of the Prodigal son up until the point where we see him partying. Make sure you read all of Luke 15 to get the whole story. After the clip, you can wrap up with the following and any other ideas: In the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), the younger son wants his inheritance early basically saying to his father, I wish you were dead. His father grants his request even though he knows it s a terrible idea. He was also very hurt, but after much begging, he let his son have his way. Sometimes it s the same with God. Sometimes he lets us do things that He doesn t want us to, but because sometimes we are so persistent, He lets us do our own thing and make our own mistakes so that we can learn from them. He will always warn us, but ultimately we make our own decisions and we need to accept the consequences. Imagine this, you re walking along a path and you don t see a big hole right in front of you, but your dad does and he shouts out to you, Hole! Hole! Big hole ahead! Watch out! But, you keep walking towards it. Your dad then steps in front of you and asks, Do you see the hole? Your response is, What hole? or I won t fall in. or Even if I do it s not that deep so I won t get hurt. God will often allow us to make choices in life that He knows won t lead us in the right direction, but at the same time, He will be there to catch you when you fall and will always be there when you have realized what you have done and when you know you need to ask for forgiveness and come back to Him.

7 In our story today, the son got distracted by worldly things and thought he knew better than his dad. This led him away from the safety and comfort of his fathers home because he thought that it would be better if he were on his own exploring the high life! As we will see next week, his idea of fun landed him up somewhere not so fun! The father trusted that his son would realize that things often don t turn out how we think they will. Whenever we do something opposite to what God would have us do, it s not very likely to work out for us in the long term. At first it may seem as if doing our own thing is perfectly fine - I m sure that s what the prodigal son thought too when he was partying it up - but eventually, things will start to fall apart very quickly. Remember, we are SONS and DAUGHTERS of God which means we are part of HIS family! We are in this world but not of it. Our identity is found in the fact that our Father is God and our safety and provision is found in Him. Pray and ask God to help us not get distracted by things outside of His plan for us. Ask Him to help us to listen to Him when he guides us and even tells us no in certain situations. He always wants what is best for us and will be always be there to warn us when we start deviating off course. He is our Father and He knows the plans he has for us!

8 Week 4 Media Clip: Prodigal Son Series Part 2 Story: Luke 15 - The Prodigal Son Characters: MC Just to recap quick: Last week we ended where the son was partying it up after taking his inheritance money from his father. Play part 2 of the prodigal son clip - The clip will show the Prodigal son from the point where he realizes he has messed up and that he needs to go back home. After the clip, you can wrap up with the following and any other ideas: As we saw in the clip, the younger son in the story wastes all the money he got on loose living partying, drinking, gambling and doing all the things he shouldn t things which would probably scar him for life. Eventually, when he has no more money left and is absolutely desperate, he finds a job where he has to look after pigs and basically live off the food they eat. Finally, when he realized things were not looking up and were not getting any better, he decided that he needed to return home to his father. When the father saw his younger son he ran, embraced and kissed him. He had been patiently waiting for him all the time he was away. This is the love of a father for his son. A son is a son forever; nothing a son does will ever change the love of a father. Likewise, nothing can change the love that our Father in heaven has for us - His sons and daughters. This is the heart of God, our heavenly Father. Even when we mess up, He still loves us the same! He waits for us to come back to Him when we decide to do our own things and not obey Him.

9 The love our Father in heaven has for us is unconditional. Basically, this means that He loves us without us having to do anything! He loves us simply because he made us and therefore we are HIS creation! Remember this, the greatest act of love God showed us was sending His one and only son Jesus to die on the cross for us. This happened way before we were even born so if you think about logically, there was nothing we could do to earn His love even if we wanted to. Nothing we can do can ever stop Him from loving us. Even if we think we have messed up so badly that he could never take us back, He will! Our God is bigger than any sin and so His love is big enough to cover any sin we have!

10 Week 5 Media Clip Story: Luke 11:10-13 Characters: MC Today we re sticking in the book of Luke and taking a look at the following verses which say: For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Let s say you ask your dad for a sandwich? Would he give you a sandwich or would he give you a rock out of the garden? Or maybe you asked him for some juice? Would he give you muddy water from a puddle? Probably not! Our earthly fathers give us good things when we ask for them, they are not going to try harm us by feeding us rocks or muddy water! So just think about it, if our dad s here on earth know how to give us good things when we ask, how much more will our Father in heaven know how to give us good things when we ask for them? God says that a good dad gives good things to his children when they ask for what they want. BUT He does not say that he always gives them exactly what they ask for. Our dad s know what is best for us and our Father in heaven knows even more what is good for us!!

11 Imagine this scenario You suddenly remember there are chocolate brownies left over from dessert about two nights ago your taste buds are activated and you need to have those chocolate brownies! So, you go to your dad and you ask him if you can have the chocolate brownies that are left over. When he goes to check for you, he sees they have gone mouldy and have a white fuzz all over them. He tells you that there s no ways you can eat this now! You tell him you ll eat all the fuzzy stuff, it doesn t matter to you, your mind and taste buds are set on those brownies! His answer is still no and this irritates you. Why is it his problem if you want to eat the fuzzy brownies!? But your dad knows that eating those brownies will more than likely make you sick and that s going to mean you won t fee well enough to play your sports match tomorrow. He s watching out for you, he s got your back and you need to trust him with whatever decision he makes. Conclusion: So when Jesus says he will give good things, he means that. Only good things. And only he knows ultimately what is good for us. And notice, when he says dads don t give stones when asked for bread, he does not say dads always give bread. Just no stones. And when he says, dads don t give snakes for fish, he does not say dads always give fish. Just no snakes. The point is this: God hears our prayers. And he gives us what we ask for, or something better (not necessarily easier), if we trust him!

12 BIG GROUP GAMES WEEK 1 - EAR BUD,. War! What you need: -Masking tape / duct tape -Drinking straws: 1 per person (wide enough to fit ear bud inside) -Ear buds: 5 per person Instructions: -Split the room in half with a line of tape along the floor. -Split the kids into two equal sized teams, one on each side of the line. -Each kid gets a straw and 5 ear buds. -On your signal, they have to launch ear buds over to the other team s half of the room. (They do this by putting the ear bud inside the straw and blowing hard to launch it like a missile). -Each team tries to launch as many Q-Tips to the other side not just their own, but the ones that land on their side too. -The winning team is the one with the fewest number of ear buds in their half at the end of the game. WEEK 2 - GET YOUR TEAM ACROSS! What you need: -Masking tape / duct tape Instructions: -Using the underneath template below as an example, create a course out of squares that move across your room. -Break the kids up into teams (age groups) and tie their legs together to create one long chain. -The aim of the game is to get their entire team across the path created without touching any areas which are outside of the squares. -The team that reaches the other side of the room first WINS!

13 WEEK 3 - Sit Down If Start with everyone standing up. The MC says a statement and all those who it applies to sits down. The last one standing is the winner! Here are some ideas: Sit down if you have eaten chocolate today Sit down if you are wearing purple Sit down if you were born in September Sit down if you have blue eyes Sit down if you are the youngest child you have broken a bone gone for two weeks without a shower can speak more than two languages WEEK 4 - TRUE/FALSE RUN! -All kids stands in the middle of a room. One wall is nominated 'true' and the other 'false'. -The MC reads a statement, eg 'bats aren't actually blind'. On 'Run!' the kids must run for whichever side they think is correct - true or false Whoever reaches the correct wall first wins. STAYING IN THE CENTRE IS NOT AN OPTION. -Tally the winners on a board and award the overall champion a prize. -Alternatively, the kids who choose the wrong answer are eliminated, and only the correct side continue to the next round. Week 5 - STRAWS & ELASTIC BANDS -Divide kids into their different age groups and have them sit in a circle. -Each person gets a straw which must be held using their mouth. -They have to pass the elastic band around using the straw. -If the elastic band DROPS, the straw has to be cut in half. -If it drops again, the person is out. -See how many people are left in each group after 3 minutes. -The team with the least people out WINS!

14 Week 1 - God is 3 in 1 (0-1) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: The Trinity Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17 Bottom Line: Our God is three in one. Activity Items Required Colour in the picture. A fun idea might be to bring three different hats with you. Have kids try on a hat - ask them how many hats can fit on their heads if they wear them properly? Only one. BUT God wears ALL THREE! He is THREE IN ONE! Colouring picture Colouring Materials Explain that God is so big and powerful! There are some things we might never understand, but God continues to blow our mind with His awesomeness that it doesn t even matter :)

15 Talk About It Think of the trinity in this way: 3 WHO S and 1 WHAT! Basically, there are three persons, each person is God, but each person is distinct, and there s only one God. We can all agree that if someone says WHO we know they are talking about a person and not a thing The trinity is NOT three parts that make it one whole, it s THREE persons in one! The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are separate but together they are ONE! We don t have to understand this fully! That s the incredible thing about God! He is so big that our mind can t even take it all in! All we can do is believe what the Bible says and then ask Him to explain it to us properly one day in heaven.

16 Week 1 - God is 3 in 1 (2-3) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: The Trinity Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17 Bottom Line: Our God is three in one. Activity Items Required GUYS Take your boys outside and have them find three twigs they can tie together to represent the trinity. Tell them to hang this in their room somewhere to remind them our God is 3 in 1! Twigs (From outside) String GIRLS Colour in the pyramid and follow the instructions on the template.

17 Talk About It Think of the trinity in this way: 3 WHO S and 1 WHAT! Basically, there are three persons, each person is God, but each person is distinct, and there s only one God. We can all agree that if someone says WHO we know they are talking about a person and not a thing The trinity is NOT three parts that make it one whole, it s THREE persons in one! The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are separate but together they are ONE! We don t have to understand this fully! That s the incredible thing about God! He is so big that our mind can t even take it all in! All we can do is believe what the Bible says and then ask Him to explain it to us properly one day in heaven.

18 Week 1 - God is 3 in 1 (4-5) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: The Trinity Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17 Bottom Line: Our God is three in one. Activity Items Required MAKE A THREE STRANDED BRACELET! -Tie three pieces of ribbon or string together with a knot (As shown in the middle picture). -Braid the strands together (See the top picture). -once you have braided all the ribbon/string, tie a knot at the end. -Make sure it is long enough to tie around your wrist. -This bracelet is to remind you of the trinity every time you wear it. String/leather pieces (guys) Ribbon (Girls)

19 Think of the trinity in this way: 3 WHO S and 1 WHAT! Talk About It Basically, there are three persons, each person is God, but each person is distinct, and there s only one God. We can all agree that if someone says WHO we know they are talking about a person and not a thing The trinity is NOT three parts that make it one whole, it s THREE persons in one! The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are separate but together they are ONE! We don t have to understand this fully! That s the incredible thing about God! He is so big that our mind can t even take it all in! All we can do is believe what the Bible says and then ask Him to explain it to us properly one day in heaven.

20 Week 1 - God is 3 in 1 (6-7) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: The Trinity Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17 Bottom Line: Our God is three in one. Activity MAKE A THREE STRANDED BRACELET! Items Required String/leather pieces (guys) Ribbon (Girls) -Tie three pieces of ribbon or string together with a knot (As shown in the middle picture). -Braid the strands together (See the top picture). -once you have braided all the ribbon/string, tie a knot at the end. -Make sure it is long enough to tie around your wrist. -This bracelet is to remind you of the trinity every time you wear it.

21 Talk About It FIRST THING TO REMEMBER: God is SPIRIT. He lives without the limitations we do. He s more complex than us & there are things our minds can t understand! That s why Jesus the Son can be different from the Father and yet the same!! But that s the awesome thing about God! He literally blows our mind!! Look at it this way: 3 WHO S & 1 WHAT! (Compare the 2 tables) Tri - three + Unity - one =TRINITY God the Son (Jesus) is fully, completely God. God the Father is fully, completely God. God the Holy Spirit is fully, completely God. -Read Genesis 1:26 Note the plurals that are used. Think about this The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit live together in community. So even before humanity began, they would have been in a relationship together. You see, God is love, and for love to work there needs to be someone to love and someone to be loved by - love began in the trinity. We see this love in the way the Father loves the son and the way they send the Holy Spirit. There is love, communication and community within the trinity and this couldn t happen with merely three separate parts, it would need people to be able to do this. The nature of the trinity is in each of us and that is why we desire to love and be loved and to be in community with others.

22 Week 2 - God is Father (0-1) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: Jesus Baptized Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17 Bottom Line: God is our heavenly dad Activity -Colour in the picture of Jesus being baptized. -Cut out the template of the dove and glue it to the picture. Items Required Colouring picture Colouring materials Scissors Glue -Explain how the Holy Spirit came like a dove on Jesus shoulder after He was baptized.

23 Talk About It JOHN THE BAPTIST He was a prophet and would go around telling people that God was going to send someone who would save the world This person would be Jesus - His son! When Jesus was grown up, he went to John the Baptist to be baptized to set an example for us to follow Do you know what it means to be baptized? (We become brand new in Jesus.) DISCUSS: -Imagine you were Jesus and had to be sent away from your home to save the world? How would you feel leaving everything you knew and leaving your family? -How do you think God felt when He had to send His son down to earth? -Why did He do it? (He knew we needed someone to save us from our sin) -God loved the world so much that He gave His son to die for us so that our sins could be forgiven. Have everyone draw a picture of their dad. If they don t have a dad, have them draw a picture of the person they look up to. -What kind of things does a father give their children? Food Safety A home A family Love Support Discipline Some of us here might have great dad s, but others of us might not and some of us may not even have dad s. -Who is the one dad that will never fail us or never leave us? (God) -Does God ever change? (No, that means he will ALWAYS love us) -Can God make mistakes? (No. Our earthly dads might mess up sometimes and we might feel sad, but God is perfect ALL the time)

24 Week 2 - God is Father (2-3) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: Jesus Baptized Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17 Bottom Line: God is our heavenly dad Activity Make a Dove! -Cut out 2 circles from white paper to form the shape of the dove. -Cut a paper plate to make the wings and tail. -Stick all the pieces together to look like the picture alongside. -Stick the memory verse on one of the doves wings -Colour in and decorate! -Tie a ribbon to it s head so you can hang it up. Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. -Matthew 3:17 Items Required White paper Paper plate Colouring materials Scissors Glue Memory Verse Template String/ribbon GUYS Colour in the picture and then take your group outside to play a game of your choice together. (rugby, soccer, cricket...) Just have fun with them. Ask them about the games they play with their dads or the father figure in their lives. In the same way, God wants to be our father and involved in every aspect of our lives!

25 Talk About It JOHN THE BAPTIST He was a prophet and would go around telling people that God was going to send someone who would save the world This person would be Jesus - His son! When Jesus was grown up, he went to John the Baptist to be baptized to set an example for us to follow Do you know what it means to be baptized? (We become brand new in Jesus.) DISCUSS: -Imagine you were Jesus and had to be sent away from your home to save the world? How would you feel leaving everything you knew and leaving your family? -How do you think God felt when He had to send His son down to earth? -Why did He do it? (He knew we needed someone to save us from our sin) -God loved the world so much that He gave His son to die for us so that our sins could be forgiven. Have everyone draw a picture of their dad. If they don t have a dad, have them draw a picture of the person they look up to. -What kind of things does a father give their children? Food Safety A home A family Love Support Discipline Some of us here might have great dad s, but others of us might not and some of us may not even have dad s. -Who is the one dad that will never fail us or never leave us? (God) -Does God ever change? (No, that means he will ALWAYS love us) -Can God make mistakes? (No. Our earthly dads might mess up sometimes and we might feel sad, but God is perfect ALL the time)

26 Week 2 - God is Father (4-5) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: Jesus Baptized Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17 Bottom Line: God is our heavenly dad Activity Items Required Make a Dove! -Cut out 2 circles from white paper to form the shape of the dove. -Cut a paper plate to make the wings and tail. -Stick all the pieces together to look like the picture alongside. -Stick the memory verse on one of the doves wings -Colour in and decorate! -Tie a ribbon to it s head so you can hang it up. Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. -Matthew 3:17 GUYS Colour in the picture and then take your group outside to play a game of your choice together. (rugby, soccer, cricket...) Just have fun with them. Ask them about the games they play with their dads or the father figure in their lives. In the same way, God wants to be our father and involved in every aspect of our lives! White paper Paper plate Colouring materials Scissors Glue Memory Verse Template String/ribbon

27 Talk About It Some of us here might have great dad s, but others of us might not and some of us may not even have dad s. (If your group is open to chatting about their dad s, let them share) -Who is the one dad that will never fail us or never leave us? (God) -Does God ever change? (No, that means he will ALWAYS love us) -Can God make mistakes? (No. Our earthly dads might mess up sometimes and we might feel sad, but God is perfect ALL the time) DISCUSS: 1. We are sons and daughters in God s family. 2. We re the ones who choose to disobey & walk away from God. He never moves or changes & always waits for us to come back. 3. He will always accept us and love us no matter what we do. 4. He wants to have a relationship with us and for us to share our hearts and deepest thoughts with Him. 5. Once we are saved into God s family, REMEMBER: -No matter what our earthly dad is like, we have a dad in heaven who is perfect and will never abandon us! -God is the ULTIMATE FATHER! He sets the example for all our dads to follow. Sometimes our dads might not get everything right and so we need to pray for them and ask God to bless them. -When we want to know what a perfect father looks like, we can look to our father in heaven. -Your dad in heaven is a king so that makes you a prince or princess! Read Psalm 27:9-10 "Father and mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in." It is good and wise to turn to God our heavenly Father when our earthly fathers abandon us, but it is also necessary to turn to Him as sons and daughters of Adam who, in our sin, have rebelled against God and abandoned Him. End of with your group praying for their dads & thanking God for being the ultimate dad!!

28 Week 2 - God is Father (6-7) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: Jesus Baptized Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17 Bottom Line: God is our heavenly dad Discussion Chat with your group about the things they do with their parents or their guardians. Chat about their favourite memories doing things with their family and why they enjoyed them so much. You can also make the topic a bit broader if there are kids who don t have the best relationship with their parents and chat about what they think makes a good father or mother. Explain that even when our earthly parents fail us, God will never. He is the ultimate dad and we have complete access to Him. Just as we love spending time with family or close friends, He loves spending time with us. Even more! He wants us to know that we are children of the most high King and that we have a dad in heaven who desperately wants to be close to us and be a part of every aspect of our lives. Do you see yourself as a son or daughter of God? Do you know you have a Father in heaven who will love you unconditionally and will fill in all the gaps where our earthly parents might not be perfect.

29 Talk About It Some of us here might have great dad s, but others of us might not and some of us may not even have dad s. (If the group are open to chatting about their dad s, let them share) DISCUSS: 1. We are sons and daughters in God s family. 2. We re the ones who choose to disobey & walk away from God. He never moves or changes & always waits for us to come back. 3. He will always accept us and love us no matter what we do. 4. He wants to have a relationship with us and for us to share our hearts and deepest thoughts with Him. 5. Once we are saved into God s family, REMEMBER: -Often we are given a really bad idea of what a father should be like based on the different kinds of fathers we see around us. BUT GOD WAS THE FIRST FATHER EVER so this means that HE sets the standard of what it means to be a dad. -Our understanding of fatherhood is not limited to our earthly father because he is not what defines a father. God is. -No matter what our earthly dad is like we have a dad in heaven who is perfect and will never abandon us! -For some of us it might be easy to see God as a father because we have such great dads, but for others of us, we need to go to the Bible to see the kind of fathering God wants to give to us. -God is the ULTIMATE FATHER! He sets the example for all our dads to follow. Sometimes our dads might not get everything right and so we need to pray for them and ask God to bless them. -When we want to know what a perfect father looks like, we can look to our father in heaven. -Your dad in heaven is a king so that makes you a prince or princess! Read Psalm 27:9-10 End of with them praying for their dads and thanking God for blessing them with fathers or other people who take the role of being a father in their lives. Thank God for being the ultimate dad!!!

30 Week 3 - Identity (0-1) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: The Prodigal Son (part 1) Scripture: Luke 15 Bottom Line: The Father tells me who I am Activity Colour in the picture. While you are colouring in, chat to the kids about each person in the picture: -What are they? -What do they do? The things that they do make them who we are. Picture Items Required Colouring materials Ask them who they are: -Brother -Sister -Son -Daughter Explain that WE are children of God. We have the coolest dad on heaven! We are who we are because of Jesus. Your IDENTITY is who YOU are! YOU are a CHILD OF GOD!

31 Talk About It -Has any one ever heard the word IDENTITY? -What do you think it means? Identity is a big word that basically means WHO I AM -What are the things that make you who you are? What you look like What your favourite colour is Who your parents are Which school you go to What things you like and what things you don t like. The list is endless! There are many things that make us who we are. BUT, there is one thing that is most important than anything else when it comes to who we are WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD! WE ARE HIS! Being a child of God means we need to ACT like a child of God. -How does this mean we should act? We need to love God and love those around us We need to be kind to people We need to help people We need to pray for people We need to tell others about Jesus.

32 Week 3 - Identity (2-3) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: The Prodigal Son (part 1) Scripture: Luke 15 Bottom Line: The Father tells me who I am GIRLS Activity Make a paper doll Items Required Paper doll template Colouring materials Scissors & glue -Cut out one of the princesses and cut out the dress you like. -Glue the dress onto the doll. REMEMBER!!! YOU ARE GOD S PRINCESS! HE S YOUR DAD AND SO THAT MAKES YOU THE DUGHTER OF A KING! THAT S WHO YOU ARE!!! GUYS - Make an IDENTITY flag -Using permanent markers, write all the things on the piece of material which describe who you are in Christ! -Make this a team effort and discuss every word written down. -Keep this in your groups box to serve as a reminder throughout the series. White fabric Permanent markers

33 Talk About It -Has any one ever heard the word IDENTITY? -What do you think it means? Identity is a big word that basically means WHO I AM -What are the things that make you who you are? What you look like What your favourite colour is Who your parents are Which school you go to What things you like and what things you don t like. The list is endless! There are many things that make us who we are. BUT, there is one thing that is most important than anything else when it comes to who we are WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD! WE ARE HIS! Being a child of God means we need to ACT like a child of God. -What does being a child of God mean for us? We re part of the most epic family All our sins are forgiven We are loved unconditionally -How does this mean we should act? We need to love God and love those around us We need to be kind to people and help those in need We need to pray for people and tell others about Jesus. Our identity in God should influence everything we do, the decisions we make and the activities we choose to participate in. We need to reflect God in everything we do.

34 .Week 3 - Identity (4-5) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: The Prodigal Son (part 1) Scripture: Luke 15 Bottom Line: The Father tells me who I am Activity Items Required GIRLS - Make a paper doll -Cut out one of the princesses and cut out the dress you like. -Glue the dress onto the doll. -Write I am God s princess on the back of your paper doll. REMEMBER... YOU ARE GOD S PRINCESS! HE S YOUR DAD AND SO THAT MAKES YOU THE DUGHTER OF A KING! THAT S WHO YOU ARE!!! Paper doll template Colouring materials Scissors & glue GUYS - Make an IDENTITY flag -Using permanent markers, write all the things on the piece of material which describe who you are in Christ! -Make this a team effort and discuss every word written down. -Keep this in your groups box to serve as a reminder throughout the series. White fabric Permanent markers

35 -What does IDENTITY mean? Talk About It Identity is a big word that basically means WHO I AM -What are some of the things that make up your identity? What you look like Your personality Who your parents are Which school you go to Your likes and dislikes The list is endless! There are many things that make us who we are. BUT, there is one thing that is most important than anything else when it comes to who we are WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD! WE ARE HIS! Being a child of God means we need to ACT like a child of God. -What does being a child of God mean for us? We re part of the most epic family All our sins are forgiven We are loved unconditionally -How does this mean we should act? We need to love God and love those around us We need to be kind to people and help those in need We need to pray for people and tell others about Jesus. Our identity in God needs to influence everything we do. The decisions we make and the activities we choose to participate in should all flow from a place of being a child of God. We need to reflect God in everything we do.

36 Week 3 - Identity (6-7) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: The Prodigal Son (part 1) Scripture: Luke 15 Bottom Line: The Father tells me who I am GIRLS Activity Make Bunting: -Cut out the circles -Punch holes in the top of each of them -String them together with ribbon -Hang it up in your room to remind yourself everyday that YOU are a DAUGHTER of God! Items Required Cardboard template Scissors Punch Ribbon GUYS - Make an IDENTITY flag -Using permanent markers, write all the things on the piece of material which describe who you are in Christ! -Make this a team effort and discuss every word written down. -Keep this in your groups box to serve as a reminder throughout the series. White fabric Permanent markers

37 Talk About It -What does IDENTITY mean? Identity is a big word that basically means WHO I AM -What are some of the things that make up your identity? What you look like Your personality Who your parents are Which school you go to Your likes and dislikes God has something to say about who we are: I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 Read the following scriptures to see what else God has to say: -1 Thessalonians 5:5 (children of light) -Ephesians 5:8 (Light in the Lord) -Matthew 5:13-14 (Salt of the earth and light of the world) He didn t just save us from our sins, he has made us into a brand new creation! 2 Corinthians 5:17. WHO WE ARE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH US. IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH HIM! What should our response be to these scriptures? -You are a branch, so stay close to the vine -You are light in the Lord so walk as a child of the Light -You are the salt of the earth, so flavour everything you do with Jesus. -You are the light of the world, so let your light shine that others may see your good works and glorify our Father (Matthew 5:16).

38 Week 4 - His Love for us (0-1) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: The Prodigal Son (part 2) Scripture: Luke 15 Bottom Line: The Father s love for us Activity Items Required Make a pig! -Colour in the different parts of the pig. -Cut all the pieces out. -Stick them together to look like the picture on your template. Pig template Colouring materials Scissors Glue This is to remind you of the parable of the lost son. Nothing we can do will ever stop Jesus from loving us and from forgiving us. He loves us no matter what we do! It s because we know He loves us so much that we want to obey Him!

39 Talk About It To recap the story, go through the following activity with your group: Some questions to discuss: -Did the dad ask the son any questions when he came back home? (No) -What did he do when he saw his son? (He ran up to his son and hugged him because he was so excited to see him) -Did he want the son to tell him why he did what he did? (No) -Why? (He was just so happy his son had come back home.) -Who does this father remind us of? (God) -Why? (Because no matter what we do wrong, God always forgives us when we realize we have made a mistake and need to say sorry.)

40 Week 4 - His Love for us (2-3) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: The Prodigal Son (part 2) Scripture: Luke 15 Bottom Line: The Father s love for us Activity Items Required Make a pig! -Colour in the different parts of the pig. -Cut all the pieces out. -Stick them together to look like the picture on your template. Pig template Colouring materials Scissors Glue This is to remind you of the parable of the lost son. Nothing we can do will ever stop Jesus from loving us and from forgiving us. He loves us no matter what we do! It s because we know He loves us so much that we want to obey Him!

41 Talk About It Some questions to discuss: -Did the dad ask the son any questions when he came back home? (No) -What did he do when he saw his son? (He ran up to his son and hugged him because he was so excited to see him) -Did he want the son to tell him why he did what he did? (No) -Why? (He was just so happy his son had come back home.) -Who does this father remind us of? (God) -Why? (Because no matter what we do wrong, God always forgives us when we realize we have made a mistake and need to say sorry.)

42 Week 4 - His Love for us (4-5) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: The Prodigal Son (part 2) Scripture: Luke 15 Bottom Line: The Father s love for us Activity GIRLS - Make a pig! -Each girl will need a big paper plate, a small paper plate, a sheet of pink cardboard and a pipe cleaner. -Paint the paper plates pink and sprinkle them with glitter. -Cut out legs, ears and a nose from the cardboard. -Add the pipe cleaner to make a tail (Pierce this through the plate). -Draw on eyes and nostrils. -Glue your plates together and stick on its legs, ears and nose! Items Required 1 x big & small paper plate Pink Cardboard Pink paint Glitter Pipe cleaners Scissors Glue GUYS - Make a knot -Follow the instructions tutorial on the activity sheet. Just like when the prodigal son was welcomes home after he messed up, Jesus will always forgive us if we mess up. He will never lock us out, we re home when we realize we have messed up and come back to our dad.

43 Talk About It DISCUSS: -When the son came back, did the father ask for an explanation of what had happened? (No) -What did the father do when he saw his son? (He ran and hugged him) -How did the son feel? (As though he didn t deserve it) -Do you think he deserved his fathers total forgiveness without an explanation for all the bad things he had done? (No) IT S THE SAME WITH GOD! -When we mess up, God doesn t need an explanation from us in order to forgive us. -When we come to Him knowing we have messed up, it makes Him so happy. -We might not feel as though we deserve to be forgiven for some of the things we do and here s the scary part WE DON T DESERVE IT! BUT, because of Jesus dying on the cross we were forgiven for every sin we will ever do. -There is nothing we can do to earn His forgiveness, WE JUST GET IT because He loves us. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE: -Do you know what unconditional love means? -Explain how you understand it? HERE S WHAT IS IT: -It s love without conditions! -It s when you expect nothing in return for giving your own love. -Jesus loves us without condition what does this mean to you? (There is nothing we need to do to earn His love, we just get it!) -He loved us before we were even born so there is nothing we could have ever done to earn His love. -What could stop God from loving us? (Absolutely nothing!) -So what happens if we mess up? Will God love us less? (No ways!)

44 Week 4 - His Love for us (6-7) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: The Prodigal Son (part 2) Scripture: Luke 15 Bottom Line: The Father s love for us Activity GIRLS - Heart key ring -From felt material, cut out 2 hearts (One slightly bigger than the other) -Cut out a heart slightly smaller than both those from the material. -With craft glue, glue all three of these pieces together as seen alongside. -Loop a piece of ribbon to glue to the top to attach to the key ring. -Put this on any keys that you use to remind you of the Father s love for you! Items Required Felt material (2 x different colours) Cotton Material Key ring Craft Glue & Scissors GUYS - Make a knot key ring Follow the instructions on the sheet in your activity box. Use this for any keys you have - house keys, locker keys, lock keys. Just like when the prodigal son was welcomes home after he messed up, Jesus will always forgive us if we mess up. He will never lock us out, we re home when we realize we have messed up and come back to our dad.

45 Talk About It DISCUSS: -When the son came back, did the father ask for an explanation of what had happened? (No) -What did the father do when he saw his son? (He ran and hugged him) -How did the son feel? (As though he didn t deserve it) -Do you think he deserved his fathers total forgiveness without an explanation for all the bad things he had done? (No) IT S THE SAME WITH GOD! -When we mess up, God doesn t need an explanation from us in order to forgive us. -When we come to Him knowing we have messed up, it makes Him so happy. -We might not feel as though we deserve to be forgiven for some of the things we do. And here s the scary part: WE DON T DESERVE IT! BUT, because of Jesus dying on the cross we were forgiven for every sin we will ever do. -There is nothing we can do to earn His forgiveness, WE JUST GET IT because He loves us. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE: -Do you know what unconditional love means? -Explain how you understand it? HERE S WHAT IS IT: -It s love without conditions! -It s when you expect nothing in return for giving your own love. -Jesus loves us without condition what does this mean to you? (There is nothing we need to do to earn His love, we just get it!) -He loved us before we were even born so there is nothing we could have ever done to earn His love. -What could stop God from loving us? (Absolutely nothing!) -So what happens if we mess up? Will God love us less? (No ways!) -What does being loved unconditionally mean for us? (We need to love others unconditionally in return and show them the love of Jesus) -How do we do this? (Get your group to chat about this.)

46 Week 5-The Father Holds Us (0-1) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: God gives us good things Scripture: Luke 11:10-13 Bottom Line: Because the Father has our back, we can ask Him for anything. Activity Items Required Colour in the picture. -Decorate with stickers -If they can write, have them write things on the page that God has given them. (Parents, siblings, home, teachers) -Ask them about things in their life that God has given them. Picture Colouring materials Stickers GOD HOLDS ME & GIVES ME GOOD GIFTS!

47 Talk About It -Think back to when you were a baby? -Did someone used to hold you and carry you? -Maybe you have a baby brother or sister and your parents or grandparents carry and hold them? They would probably have done this because you couldn t walk somewhere yourself or because you were crying. But you felt safe right? If you could have thought more when you were a baby you probably would have thought to yourself that nothing in the world could harm you or touch you when the person who loved you was holding or carrying you? It s the same with God! HE HOLDS US! What does this mean: -He keeps us safe and will always protect us -He always gives us what we need -He shows us where to go and what to do when we re scared -He is always there because He never lets us go and stops holding us. -Even if we go through a rough time where we are sad or scared, God is still holds us! -It s impossible for God to let go. -Who here has ever asked their parents for something they needed? (Remember, not wanted, but NEEDED) -Did they give it to you? They might not have given it to right away, but your parents will always give you what you need. It s the same with God! He will always give us what we need! -Ask them what God has blessed them with and then thank God for always giving them everything they need.

48 Week 5-The Father Holds Us (2-3) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: Scripture: Luke 11:10-13 Bottom Line: Because the Father has our back, we can ask Him for anything. Activity Items Required GIRLS - Make a goblet box -Cut 6cm slits vertically from the top of the cup, about 5cm apart. -Fold each of them; slightly towards to left so they curve as seen in the picture. -BEFORE you fold them in, write what things God have given you on separate pieces of paper and put these in the box. -You can decorate your box however you like! GUYS - Optical illusion Do this as a group & see who can see it! -Glue 2 sticks together long ways, overlapping the ends a bit. (make 2 of these). -Cut 3 sticks in half & glue them between the two long sticks. (5 boxes in total). -Glue on little pieces of popsicle stick in each square to create the letters J E S U S. Paper cup Scissors Decorating materials Popsicle sticks Glue *Sometime we can t see that Jesus is actually working all things together for the good! He has our back all the time; even when it might not seem like it to us.

49 Talk About It -Think back to when you were a baby? -Did someone used to hold you and carry you? -Maybe you have a baby brother or sister and your parents or grandparents carry and hold them? They would probably have done this because you couldn t walk somewhere yourself or because you were crying. But you felt safe right? If you could have thought more when you were a baby you probably would have thought to yourself that nothing in the world could harm you or touch you when the person who loved you was holding or carrying you? It s the same with God! HE HOLDS US! What does this mean: -He keeps us safe and will always protect us -He always gives us what we need -He shows us where to go and what to do when we re scared -He is always there because He never lets us go and stops holding us. -Even if we go through a rough time where we are sad or scared, God is still holds us! -It s impossible for God to let go. -Who here has ever asked there parents for something they needed? (Remember, not wanted, but NEEDED) -Did they give it to you? They might not have given it to right away, but your parents will always give you what you need. It s the same with God! He will always give us what we need! -Ask them what God has blessed them with and then thank God for always giving them everything they need.

50 Week 5-The Father Holds Us (4-5) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: Scripture: Luke 11:10-13 Bottom Line: Because the Father has our back, we can ask Him for anything. Activity Items Required GIRLS - Make a goblet box -Cut 6cm slits vertically from the top of the cup, about 5cm apart. -Fold each of these inwards, but slightly towards to left so they curve as seen in the picture. -BEFORE you fold them in, write what things God have given you on separate pieces of paper and put these in the box. -You can decorate your box how you like! GUYS - Optical illusion Do this as a group & see who can see it! -Glue 2 sticks together long ways, overlapping the ends a bit. (make 2 of these). -Cut 3 sticks in half & glue them between the two long sticks. (5 boxes in total). -Glue on little pieces of popsicle stick in each square to create the letters J E S U S. Paper cup Scissors Decorating materials Popsicle sticks Glue *Sometime we can t see that Jesus is actually working all things together for the good! He has our back all the time; even when it might not seem like it to us.

51 Talk About It READ LUKE 11:10-13: For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Think back to when you were a little child. The safety and comfort you felt when you were being held by your parents or someone else who loved you was all you needed. No matter had happened or how sad or scared you were, when someone held you, you felt instantly better. *Show your kids the picture alongside. -There is something so precious About this picture. -Would you say the baby is safe? -Would you say the baby is loved? -Are they protected and cared for? YES!!! In the same way, God our Father Holds us and will never let us go. We are safe when we are with Him And we can ask Him anything! He WANTS to give us good things & He WANTS to spend time with us. Satan wants us to doubt that God is good ALL the time. -Has something bad ever happened to you? -Was your immediate reaction to trust God or did you maybe think He had forgotten about you? Why? BUT -The fact that there is pain and evil in the world does not change the fact that God is good and that He loves us. -Even when we don t understand why God allows some things to happen, we must come to Him in faith & trust that He will never let us go.

52 Week 5-The Father Holds Us (6-7) Memory Verse: This is my son with who I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Story: Scripture: Luke 11:10-13 Bottom Line: Because the Father has our back, we can ask Him for anything. Activity Items Required GIRLS - Make a photo frame -Use the cardboard and all the decorating materials to make photo frames. -On one side of the frame write: My Father in heaven holds me. -When you get home, find a photo to fit in it. GUYS - Optical illusion Do this as a group & see who can see it! -Glue 2 sticks together long ways, overlapping the ends a bit. (make 2). -Cut 3 sticks in half & glue them between the two long sticks. (5 boxes). -Glue on little pieces in each square to create the letters J E S U S. Cardboard Decorating materials Glue & scissors Popsicle sticks Glue *Sometime we can t see that Jesus is actually working all things together for the good! He has our back all the time; even when it doesn t seem like it to us.